Subtitled 'A History of Fishpool Institution (Bolton District General Hospital) 1860-1948'
Published by Neil Richardson in 1989, 78 pages. A5 size booklet (N7910)
From the foreword: I am delighted to have this opportunity to contribute a foreword to 'A Paupers' Palace'. It enables me to pay tribute to Betty Connor, who has spent so much of her time in researching and writing this book.
I am sure that it will be of great interest to the people of Bolton and district and to students of the social conditions that existed between the seventeenth century and the emergence of the Welfare State in 1948. I can think of no-one better to have undertaken this task. Not only did Betty spend her early life within the confines of the institution, but subsequently she became the Matron of a residential establishment. Her affection for 'Fishpool' and 'Townleys' can be seen clearly throughout this book.
The reader will find this an absorbing account of the progress made in the care of the sick and poor, from the days when the parishes were required to provide the care previously undertaken by the monasteries, to 1948, when the National Health Service took over responsibility. Contents include:
The History of Care
The Paupers' Palace
The Early Years
Local Government Board Inspections
Allegations of Scandal
Taking on Staff
Taking Stock ; Entertainments
The Royal Commission and Social Changes
The Great War Years
Post War Changes
Segregation and Improvements
Townleys Hospital and Extensions
Public Assistance Committee Takes Over
Modernisation and other changes
Wartime
The Greatest Improvements for the Quality of Life
Condition of the booklet is generally very good. The covers have one or two very minor scuffs, and some light wear along the edges and corners, but the staple spine is intact, and all pages are clean, intact, unblemished and tightly bound. There is an old price printed on the front cover and a small price sticker on the rear side